The owner of a city centre scrap firm says he is "90 per cent sure" he has elusive graffiti artist Banksy on camera.

Richard Tilson, of All Spares Hull Ltd in Trevor Street, says an employee alerted him to a "suspicious-looking" white Mercedes van, with two men inside, parked near his premises at around 9am on Thursday.

This man was seen in a white Mercedes van close to Scott Street bridge on Thursday morning (Image: Richard Tilson)

Fearing the men were "casing out" his firm, Mr Tilson took out his mobile phone and began recording the van and its occupants.

When the driver got out of the vehicle, the businessman followed him on foot to nearby Scott Street Bridge, where he took pictures.

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The baseball cap-wearing passenger in Mr Tilson's video bears a striking resemblance to a man who has previously been touted by the national press to be the revered urban artist whose work has fetched huge sums.

This new potential Banksy has been discovered in Hull

Mr Tilson said: "It seemed to me this guy in the passenger seat just didn't want to be seen. I am 90 per cent sure it's him. It was all very suspicious.

"He wouldn't get out of the van. He stayed in the van while the driver got out and walked to the bridge."

Mr Tilson says he also noticed fresh graffiti on a wall in nearby Cooper Street, which he is certain was not there the previous day.

The grafitti here states: "There must be more to life than writing 'There must be more to life' on the walls.'"

Some say the writing has the hallmarks of Banksy.

Banksy usually claims responsibility for his work by posting high-definition images to his Instagram account.

He has confirmed he was behind the Scott Street bridge graffiti, which feature a young boy wearing a cape and colander while clutching a sword, but he has so far remained tight-lipped about the Cooper Street scrawl.

If the man in the van really is Banksy, it will be the clearest image yet to emerge of the artist.

Banksy's main work on Scott Street bridge (Image: Katie Pugh)

The Mail has also viewed CCTV footage, captured by another business owner, showing what would appear to be the same white Mercedes box van parked in Cooper Street.

But Ray Mercer, of Ray Mercer Tyres, in Cooper Street, is not impressed by the aftermath of Banksy's visit to Hull.